First Call: NFL experts debate Kenny Pickett’s ceiling; J.J. Watt declares his Steelers fandom; Roger Goodell backs refs
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Thursday’s “First Call” features a declaration of Pittsburgh Steelers loyalty from a retired All-Pro. Commissioner Roger Goodell discusses the state of NFL officiating. There are differing opinions on a comparison for Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett.
And LeBron James celebrates the 500th win for Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot.
Waving the towel
Future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt said he’s a Steelers fan moving forward. The recently retired defensive lineman claimed the Steelers will be his team to root for now that he’s done playing and can watch his two brothers.
T.J. Watt is a Pro Bowl linebacker for the Steelers. Derek Watt is a fullback. J.J., who spent his 12-year career in Houston and Arizona, said on the “Pardon My Take” podcast that he is “all in” on Pittsburgh moving forward.
JJ Watt has officially joined Steelers Nation pic.twitter.com/Og9PRJAH6d
— Around The 412 (@AroundThe412) February 8, 2023
Watt insisted he is even shelving whatever instinct he may naturally have to go back to being a Green Bay Packers fan. The Watt brothers grew up in Wisconsin and all attended the University of Wisconsin.
No doubt this will lead to a torrent of “the Steelers should sign J.J. Watt out of retirement” opinions on Twitter. But, for now, he seems content to just be a fan.
Watt also tamped down any discussion of joining DeMeco Ryans’ staff in Houston as a coach, although he said he’d “pop in” to watch practice on occasion. Ryans is a former teammate of Watt’s when they were both with the Texans.
Differing opinions
Some NFL experts are expressing varying opinions on the ceiling of Kenny Pickett.
Appearing on 93.7 The Fan, former player and NFL radio analyst Ross Tucker gushed about the Steelers rookie quarterback, claiming that Pickett could see a “Jalen Hurts-like jump” in his second year.
“I love Pickett,” Tucker said. “How many games late in the year did it feel like he got the job done?”
Tucker also went on to compare Pickett to another Pro Bowl quarterback.
“Why can’t the comparison for Pickett be Joe Burrow? Joe Burrow is that much more physically gifted than Pickett? That’s who he reminds me of,” Tucker continued.
While also making an appearance on the station, the NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger disagreed.
“I think Joe Burrow is the best pure passer in the league right now from a standpoint of getting rid of the ball. Timing and accuracy, and all the things that go with it,” Baldinger said. “I’m not saying Kenny Pickett isn’t accurate, or anything like that. I think there is a difference in arm strength, and I think there is a difference in how they throw the ball.”
I get Tucker’s comp between the two when it comes to style and skill sets. I think that Pickett can be a reasonable facsimile of Burrow. But I think Baldinger is right about Pickett’s high-end ceiling being lower than what Burrow has shown so far in the NFL.
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What game is he watching?
Roger Goodell is standing by the NFL’s officials.
Speaking in advance of the Super Bowl, the NFL Commissioner gave a 45-minute “State of the League” address. And one of the topics was officiating. And (somehow) Goodell doesn’t see a problem.
“I don’t think it has ever been better in the league,” Goodell said. “There are over 42,000 plays in a season. Multiple infractions could occur on any play. That’s hundreds (of thousands), if not millions of potential fouls. And our officials do an extraordinary job of getting those.”
OK, let’s say Goodell is right. He isn’t, but let’s say he is.
If that’s the case, make the rule book less dense and stop adding to it so the officials don’t have so much to watch and potentially call on gameday. Because I think part of their struggle is that each official has too much to do on each given play and too many rules to sort through. I think they confuse themselves into mental paralysis sometimes, as we saw in this year’s mangled AFC Championship Game.
To that point, they better not consider adding that hideous “hip drop” tackle flag that some of the offensive players want to adopt from Australian Rugby.
Congrats, Coach
Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot won his 500th game as a college coach Wednesday. His Dukes beat George Mason 75-52. The accomplishment drew praise from Dambrot’s most famous former player, recently crowned NBA scoring champion LeBron James.
The Lakers forward sent a video to his former high school coach, congratulating him on the milestone.
From one to another#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/BCnBRyHpN3
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) February 9, 2023
James was a player for Dambrot at St.Vincent-St. Mary in Akron. Just the night before, James set the all-time record for most points scored in an NBA career, surpassing Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 38,388.
Dambrot’s assistant and James’ high school teammate, Dru Joyce, was in Los Angeles to see the record-making event. Joyce was back in Pittsburgh in time to help coach the Dukes to victory.
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins sent a video as well.